London - Wandsworth

Vision for charity at Wandsworth opticians

14 January, 2015The team from Specsavers in Wandsworth with glasses collected for Vision Aid Overseas

A Wandsworth opticians has championed a glasses recycling scheme to help improve access to eyecare services in developing nations.

Specsavers in Wandsworth has collected more than 500 pairs of used and unwanted specs from residents for the sight charity, Vision Aid Overseas (VAO).

More about the initiative

Residents dropped their specs into collection boxes in the store and the charity will now use the proceeds from selling the reusable materials towards establishing vision centres, training healthcare workers and utilising the expertise of volunteers to give people desperately-needed eye examinations and treatment.

A word from the store director

Andrew Kemp, store director of Specsavers in Wandsworth, said: ‘Eyecare can be something we take for granted living in in the UK, but many people in developing countries do not have such easy access to optical services. That is why we’ve been encouraging customers buying new glasses to donate their old pair to the VAO initiative. If you have a pair gathering dust at home, why not put them to good use and drop them off when you’re next in store or passing by.’